Girls soccer star Carly Gould will kick for WHS football

HAMPTON — She's an All-State soccer player, on the cusp of committing to a perennial Ivy League contender.

STEVE CRAIG

HAMPTON — She's an All-State soccer player, on the cusp of committing to a perennial Ivy League contender.

Now Carly Gould, the Winnacunnet High School girls soccer captain, is adding to her athletic resume.

She will be the place-kicker for the Winnacunnet football team.

"I figured it was my senior year, why not?" Gould said.

Hopefully starting tonight at Souhegan of Amherst — if she can make the game in time after the girls soccer team plays at Pinkerton Academy — Gould will be the Warriors' extra-point and field goal specialist.

"Soccer comes first. I'm not going to miss any soccer because of football but I'm excited," Gould said on Tuesday after scoring a goal and an assist in a 5-0 win against Spaulding.

Gould showed the power in her leg on the goal, easily banging a ball with pace from 25 yards out that caromed off the lower edge of the crossbar.

Having a soccer player kick for his team is nothing new for Winnacunnet head football coach Ron Auffant. Last year Mike Ponchak rushed from boys games to football contests on Friday nights. Current University of New Hampshire kicker Mike MacArthur got his start as a soccer/football hybrid at Winnacunnet.

Auffant said Gould being a young woman was of little concern. Rather, his only reservation was making sure to protect Gould's future as a college soccer player.

"With Carly, I knew she was a good athlete and there have been some girls (kicking) in college, that wasn't a factor with me," Auffant said. "My one concern was I didn't want her doing kickoffs. She's going to play soccer (in college). I didn't want anyone getting hurt.

"To me it doesn't matter (that Gould is a girl). She kicked one in practice that was 40 yards. With no coaching basically. She's pretty amazing. A special athlete," Auffant added.

Gould said she is waiting to announce her college choice until after she's been assured of admission. As a long-time premier level player for Seacoast United, Gould has shown her abilities in a number of high-level showcases.

Gould said she had "never" kicked a football before giving it a try during a preseason audition.

"It's different than kicking a soccer ball. Kicking a soccer ball is always hard and low and in football you have to get it way up high," Gould said. "I also found that when I get aggressive in soccer, it makes me play better but when I'm kicking a football it goes farther when I'm really relaxing and not really trying to get it to go far."

The notion of Gould trying her foot at football started last school year when she was approached by social studies teacher and new assistant football coach Ryan Francoeur.

"He asked me in school, kind of jokingly, saying that I should kick for the football team. Then my friends started hearing about it and they were like, 'Do it, do it,'" Gould said.

It was far from a split-second decision. The idea germinated through the summer.

"One day in the preseason I saw him inside the athletic building and I (said), 'Francoeur, I want to try kicking," Gould said.

An on-the-practice field audition ensued and "it kind of spiraled from there. They said, 'Yeah, you're good. You can do it."

Winnacunnet girls soccer coach Christy Bodnar admitted her initial reaction to the idea that her star center midfielder would be moonlighting on a football field was less than enthusiastic.

"She can tell you what my facial expression was but I'm sure it wasn't one of excitement," Bodnar said. "I didn't know what to say about it at first. ...; Yeah, that was a big shock for me to hear. Honestly I digested it over the night and I got back to it and, you know, she seems really happy and excited about it which is great. If she's happy and she's excited about it, that's good to see. So I hope those football players do their job."

"The kids really respect Carly. They know she's a great athlete and a good kid. They really rallied around her," Auffant said. "I hope we have some opportunities for her there. Obviously you want to score touchdowns but I'm not going to be afraid to use her."

Gould said in one of the two scrimmages she played she faced a game-type situation and had a kick blocked. In high school football, extra points cannot be returned but blocked field goals can be. What is Gould's responsibility if a blocked kick is being returned?

"Basically, it's Carly don't try to tackle anyone. Get out of the way and let the other 10 deal with it," Auffant said.

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